Swedish Committee for Afghanistan

Final Evaluation “Integration and participation of children, youth and young adults with disabilities in society through education and skills training”

1. Background

1.1 Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been operating in Afghanistan since 30 years. The mission of SCA is to empower poor women, children and men through combining service provision, capacity development and advocacy in the implementation of development programmes, predominantly in rural areas. SCA runs four large programmes in the fields of health, education, rural development and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in 17 of the country’s 34 provinces. There are support units for all programme activities relating to quality assurance, civil society, human rights, gender and information. Please see www.swedishcommittee.org for more information.

1.2 Rehabilitation of Afghans with Disabilities (RAD) The Rehabilitation of Afghans with Disabilities (RAD) programme is the disability focused programme of SCA and consists of five sub-components; community mobilization & advocacy, employment support, special and inclusive education, physical rehabilitation services and capacity & institutional development. The five sub-components are coordinated by a programme management unit in Kabul and implemented from four project offices, in Mazar-e-Sharif, Ghazni, Taloqan and Jalalabad. The RAD programme is working from a Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) perspective, a strategy developed ‘for rehabilitation, equalisation of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities’ (ILO, UNESCO & WHO, 2004).1

1.3 Project to evaluate This external evaluation is concerned with the project “Integration and participation of children, youth and young adults with disabilities in society through education and skills training”, which is funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan and implemented by SCA/RAD in three provinces in Northern Afghanistan; Balkh, Samangan and Jowzjan. In these provinces 12 districts are covered. The evaluation mainly relates to the ‘Special & Inclusive Education’ component of the RAD-programme, but also incorporates specific project-related

1 http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241592389_eng.pdf, accessed on 18 March 2012.

of 5 activities within the components ‘Employment Support’ and ‘Community Mobilization & Advocacy’. The overall objective of the project is ‘Social and economic inclusion of children, youth and young adults with disabilities through education, skills training and community support’. Three specific objectives were designed: A. Increased access to quality education for children with disabilities in mainstream schools and community based education. B. Increased access to employment opportunities for youth and young adults with disabilities. C. Improved acceptance, interaction and well-being of children, youth and young adults with disabilities within the community as well as society.

Some of the main activities of the project are: - home-based education and preparatory training of children with disabilities - support for special classes in mainstream schools for children with disabilities - support for inclusion in mainstream schools and community based education for children with disabilities - capacity building of government staff, such as mainstream schools teachers, head masters and provincial education directorate staff, on special & inclusive education - vocational training for youth and young adults with disabilities - creation of peer groups for young persons with disabilities - awareness raising and sensitisation of local communities about the rights and needs of people with disabilities

Final beneficiaries include over 2500 children, youth and young adults with disabilities. We are also working with over 5000 family members, school teachers, local communities, government and non-government actors working in education, vocational training and/or disability.

The project office in Mazar-e-Sharif is responsible for the day-to-day project operations, whereas the RAD Management Unit staff in Kabul is providing overall strategic and technical support. The budget provided by the European Union is 847,471 EURO for a 30 months period. Implementation has started from January 2010 and will last until 30 June 2012.

2. Purpose and scope of the assessment This end-of-project evaluation will review the project, its objectives and its design. Its purpose is to provide SCA with information regarding the outcomes of the project in order to develop further initiatives in the future. The evaluator will evaluate the project according to the DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability), as used by the European Commission and mentioned in the PCM Guidelines, as well as pay attention to human rights issues and power structures within the community.

of 5 The specific objectives to address in this evaluation are: 1. To identify whether the overall project design was relevant and suitable. 2. To assess whether the stated objectives have been achieved. 3. To determine whether the methods and methodologies applied were appropriate. 4. To assess the broader social change achieved by the project. 5. To assess the contributions of the project to capacity development of the provincial education authorities. 6. To provide recommendations on how to build on the action in the future.

3. Methodology The consultant will make use of a mixture of methods in data collection and analysis. The expert shall propose a participatory evaluation, addressing main project stakeholders as well as beneficiaries; a suitable and practicable methodology should be specified in the tender of the consultant. The evaluation will involve a desk study of literature and project documents, as well as discussions at the Kabul Management Office (KMO) of SCA and at the Mazar Project Office. Furthermore, the consultant will visit the three provinces where the project is being implemented to observe the project activities and meet with the related district and provincial authorities, as well as beneficiaries. At a national level meetings will be arranged with the Ministry of Education and their newly established Department for Education for All, as well as with the Ministry of Labour, Martyrs and Disabled.

4. Scheduling The assessment will take place over a 20 day period, with submission of the final report by 30th of June 2012 at the latest. Field work should preferably be done during May until the first half of June 2012.

International travel to and from Kabul 2 days Briefing, desk study, mission preparation and interviews in Kabul 4 days Travel to and from Mazar-e-Sharif 1 day Visiting project sites in the provinces 9 days Compilation of data and drafting report 2 days Presentation of findings and recommendations at KMO 1 day Preparation of final report 1 day

Total 20 days

5. Management of the task The evaluation will be carried out by an external international consultant, together with an interpreter during the field work and data collection. Responsible for commissioning and approving the work is a panel, consisting of: the Director of the Programme Implementation Department, the Head of the RAD Programme, the Special & Inclusive Education Advisor and the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

of 5 Coordinator. The RAD programme will take care of the administrative issues of the evaluation.

6. Expected outputs - A draft report in English on soft copy before presentation. - A presentation in English, at the SCA office in Kabul, discussing the findings and recommendations with relevant staff from KMO as well as the project. - A final report in English on soft copy, which incorporates or responds to feedback on the draft.

7. Required inputs SCA will provide relevant project documents, air and land transportation, accommodation, office space and, if needed, an interpreter during field work. SCA will also provide a return flight ticket from home country to Kabul, and will cover all necessary travel, visa and insurance costs.

8. External consultant Essential qualifications:  A relevant academic qualification.  Specialist in evaluations of social development, social inclusion and/or community development projects.  Proficient in the design and use of participatory methods of research.  An excellent understanding of gender issues and power structures at the community level.  Objectivity and ability to operate systematically with minimal supervision.  Result-oriented and committed to respect deadlines.  Highly proficient in written and spoken English. Desirable qualifications:  Knowledge on and experience in Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR), Disability and/or Inclusive Education programmes.  Background knowledge of the historical and political situation in Afghanistan.  A good understanding of the aspirations and challenges of rural communities in Afghanistan is desirable.  Good knowledge of spoken Dari or Pashto.

9. Submission of proposals The following should be put forward in the tender:

 A proposal of maximum three pages detailing the response to the assignment, including methodology, data collection and presentation of findings and recommendations.  A Curriculum Vitae, detailing her or his qualifications and experience relevant to the assignment.

of 5  A specification of the consultant’s daily fee. Accommodation, food and travel within Afghanistan will be arranged and paid for by SCA.

Deadline for submission of proposals is 16 April 2012. Proposals should be submitted by email to: [email protected]. Please state the reference ‘RAD EC Evaluation’ in the subject line. Selected applicants will be invited for a (phone) interview by the end of April 2012. For inquiries, please contact Ms. Fanny Verwoerdt on [email protected].